The Arizona Department of Transportation has released its 2018 crash fact report. While pedestrian fatalities were up from the previous year, many other fatalities are down.

In 2018, there were 242 alcohol-related crashes in Arizona, an 18% decrease from the previous year. Fatalities from alcohol-related crashes also decreased by over 25%. Alberto Gutier, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, said credit goes to both law enforcement and the public. 

“I gotta also give credit, and quite a bit of credit, to law enforcement, who's been out there, enforcing the laws and making sure people are safe. The public also needs to be credited, because we can see the public doing more calling a Uber or Lyft or somebody else to find a ride or getting a designated driver," Gutier said. “The number of DUI arrest and drunk driving has gone down in the last few years. And more traffic stops. Less people are arrested for DUI, that's huge. And I think that's the kind of thing we need to have in Arizona to reduce the number of fatalities.”

Gutier said based on preliminary numbers from this year, no improvements have been made. He hopes that in the remaining months of 2019, drivers can reverse this trend but points out that as Arizona’s population increases, so do crashes and fatalities.